Thursday, December 11, 2014

No matter how accessible the world is as a result of digital
communications there’s nothing better than finding things that are “as
good as it gets” and available locally; just down the street
or across town. The Haile Village Farmers’ Market
is, as anyone who has read my postings already knows, one of my
favorite places to shop locally. Local produce, coffee, eggs, milk and
cheese are sold alongside locally made candies, breads and pastries and
ethnic entrees and sides.

Some of the vendors have expanded their cottage industries to become
commercial businesses and their products are available more widely. One
vendor who wants to do this is Nana
Pat's Goodies who makes some fine mustard! As I have
said previously, I am not a mustard guy, or I was not. But if your
mustard-concepts come from visits to baseball games in the 1950s where bright
yellow mustard slathered on steamed hot dogs was the standard and you
haven’t progressed beyond an occasional Grey Poupon commercial or
Gulden’s Spicy Brown, then it’s time to become more adventuresome and
Pat would like to make it easier to do so.

I, the former, non-mustard kinda guy, would not be without one of Nana
Pat’s varieties in the ‘frig. Doesn’t take much to edge a good roast
beef sandwich into being a great one, especially if it’s made with
flavorful, homemade bread! Adding her mustard to a roll filled with sausage
and ‘kraut amplifies the savory goodness. And she even makes a bicycle related mustard using Fat Tire Beer!

Nana Pat’s Goodies are available every Saturday morning in The Village
of Haile and her customer base is comprised of people who recognize a
quality product. Pat and that guy who hangs out with her are moving
toward going commercial, but would like to have some financial
assistance with an initial run of their product and have chosen to take
a digital route. GoFundMe is one of those online enterprises that
presents ideas and seeks funds to provide financial support to turn the
idea into a reality. Unlike telecom before the ’00 crash, Nana Pat’s
idea is not vaporware, it’s a tangible, honest product that she’d like
to make more accessible. The upside to seeking funding this way is that
she doesn’t have to plunge into debt to a lending institution. The
upside to everyone else is greater access to her culinary skills.

Nana Pat’s request, along with a brief video can be found on the
GoFundMe site at GoFundMe.com/i288xg. I should add
that she isn’t looking for tens of thousands of dollar to make a
levitating mustard, just a few thou' to defray costs for a
substantial initial production run of her most popular flavor,
"Midnight Oil Stout Molasses Mustard". Made with Midnight Oil
Stout, a dark beer produced by local
brewery, Swamp Head, it's thick and rich,
with coffee and oatmeal notes that come from the top quality
ingredients the folks at Swamp Head Brewery use.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Some of the most important equipment for a regular bike rider is not
bicycle specific and one of those things is something to protect the
lips. Even in August riding across Coastal Georgia and South Carolina I
learned the value of having something to counter dry, cracking lips. By
day three I added a tube of generic, mineral oil based stuff that I
found in a dollar store. It did the job and I have carried similar
products in my handlebar bag since. Of the numerous ingredients in a
typical lip balm one is commonly listed as an “active ingredients”;
mineral oil or another petroleum product.

Because I like to buy locally and have been using Cross
Creek Honey’s soap, which is available at the Saturday
morning Farmers’ Market in Haile Village I decided to try their Don’t Bee Filthy branded
Honey Kiss Lip Balm. Jennifer makes this along with the other Don’t Bee
Filthy products; soap, lotion bar and bees’ wax candles. The
ingredients’ list is short; Almond Oil, Honey, and Cross Creek Beeswax.
I like that I’m not so going to ingest mineral oil, microcrystalline
wax and copernicia cerifera. Those things might not cause me harm, but
I am certain that almond oil, honey and beeswax won’t.

The only thing that really matters, I guess, is whether it works and it
does; at least as well as commercial varieties. I applied commercial
products about every 90 minutes of a recreational ride and Don’t Bee
Filthy lasts as long if not longer. Honey Kiss Lip Balm cost $3 and is
at least as valuable as a good pair of gloves.

Something that won’t improve your ride but is worth riding to the Haile
Village Farmers’ Market to acquire is KN Candied Jalapenos. Few things
do as good a job of turning mundane or boring into “damn, that was
good.” Combining hot and sweet isn’t unique, but blending the two
tastes so that neither overwhelms the other comes close to being an art
and Al, the man behind the product, does a good job of creating a
masterpiece of taste.

Al tells potential customers that his creation is “a lot like a bread
and butter pickle” and it is, with the addition of jalapeno heat.
Lovers of heat consume the jalapenos much like a pickle while others
use them as an addition to other things. My favorite use is as a finely
chopped addition to tuna, potato, chicken and egg salad. The sweet heat
amplifies the overall taste of each.

The single negative about KN Candied Jalapenos is that they are not
available every weekend as Al serves multiple locations. This is a
minor inconvenience since I visit The Village weekly and it might mean
you’d have to settle for fresh produce, coffee or some of the other
locally produce products.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The 4th Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge is over and 7 weekends, 7 cups
of coffee, 7 different places way to spend some riding time. Thanks is
due Mary of Chasing Mailboxes for
making
it happen and I'm guessing that anyone participating did so with a
smile on his or her face. I mean, bikes and coffee? How can you not
smile . . . seriously!

For me the schedule was easy at least for the first few weeks with
Haile Plantation's Village a place I go every Saturday, so planning the
first few destinations was much easier than my ride up the East Coast a
few years back. Below are my destinations and some relevant pictures.

Cup #1; October 4, 2.5 miles, Tree
City Coffee Roasters
Tree City (soon to be called Flagship) is not in Memphis, but the young
lady from whom I purchased my first Challenge Cup is Memphis.

It’s hard to match the freshness of coffee roasted by Andrew on
Thursday and sold on Saturday; that is exactly the way it works when I
visit the Farmers’ Market in Haile Plantation’s Village each Saturday
morning.

Memphis
filled
my cup with Tree City’s Breakfast Blend and I took along a pound of
Full City Roast (medium) Natural (Nicaragua – Selva Negra) for $12. A
fine way to start a weekend morning!

Cup #2; October 11, 2.5 miles, PattiCakes
PattiCakes is also located in Haile Plantation’s Village and, as the
name implies, specializes in cakes of the cup variety; very suitable to
accompany a cup of coffee.

PattiCakes brews locally roasted Rembrandt Coffee in a neighborhood
friendly environment where locals kibitz, chat and relax. Their house
blend was even better when coupled with one of their cupcakes.

Cup #3; October 19, 1.65 miles, Barnie’s
Franchise coffee places are not my favorite places, but the local
Barnie’s is more neighborhood then franchise and is a comfortable place
to spend a few Sunday morning hours checking email and reading online
news. The coffee of the moment was Mocha Java and it required a Danish
to help overcome the UF Gator’s loss to Missouri’s Tigers.

Cup #4; October 25, 4.5 Miles, Starbuck’s
I’d talked about bike parking along G’ville’s highly commercial Archer
Road and one of the establishments with adequate through remote racks
was Starbuck’s. Since then they have relocated to the other side of the
street and I decided to check their bike security along with getting
the Cup #4.

Like any Starbuck’s in town it was full of young patrons, virtually all
of whom were virtually connected to some virtual part of the virtual
world. Like any Starbuck’s in town there was a steady din of
conversation. The coffee d’jour was satisfactory and the donut I chose
was above average.

The new location offers adequate bike racks and reasonable
security, but with the drive-through passing within inches of the racks
extra care is required when coming and going
.

Cup #5; November 1, 2.5 miles, Limerock Road Neighborhood Grill (LRNG)
A place featuring adult beverages might be excuse for the quality of
its coffee, but when you call a tavern a “grill” and serve meaningful
meals, the coffee should be as good as the meal. LRNG doesn’t serve
mediocre coffee. Order a cup and you get some of G’ville’s best; Tree
City.

I settled at the bar on an unseasonably chilly, blustery morning when
the recently completed extension of Archer Braid Trail (ABT) through
Haile Plantation was being officially acknowledged. Bike riders in
their brightly colored kits mingled with the usual Saturday morning
Farmers’ Market patrons, enjoyed some music, collected a few freebies
and sampled munchables from LRNG.

The ABT extension makes Haile’s Village very bicycle-accessible which
fits well with the New Urbanist development’s concept. The Trail now
extends nearly nine miles from the west trailhead in the small
community of Archer to its current terminus at well-maintained Kanapaha
Park and will eventually connect with other existing and planned
trails. Ample parking at Kanapaha Park makes it an ideal place for
families to enjoy the Trail and the 2.5 mile ride to The Village. Cup
#5 blended all the things that’re good about riding a bike in
Gainesville and the Challenge simply added another good reason to be in
the saddle.

Cup
#6; November 8, 7.5 miles, Maude’s Classic Café (A Gourmet Coffee
Shop)
With the last weeks of the Challenge at hand Cup #6 could be had in
conjunction with the Fall Arts Festival in downtown G’ville. Whata
deal! Maude’s was the right place to have a cup and a muffin before
plunging into the crowd drawn by the Festival perfect weather; neither
too hot nor too chilly.

A cursory study of Maude’s could cause it to be viewed as a hipster
café, but it’s neither more nor less so than the other trendy coffee
shops in G’ville. A cup of Sweetwater Organic Coffee, also a G’ville
roasted brand, and a muffin while watching the eclectic mix of people
made it a good way to prepare for the larger than usual crowd of
Festival-goers.

Cup
#7; November 16, 2.8 miles, Waffle House, Archer Road
America might run on Dunkin’ but in the South there’re a lot of people
who’ll have their coffee at Waffle House so I decided to make the
Southern Tradition the place for my final cup.

The coffee at WH isn’t exceptional, but it comes in a heavy cup that
keeps it hot and you’ll get the question, “need some more hon’?” until
you pay and leave. It’s hard to beat the value and even more difficult
to ignore the Southern Diner ambiance; that’s one of the reasons to go
there. Another reason? Waffles, of course. And then there’s the show
put on by the grill operators on a Sunday morning.

Meeting the requirements of the 4th Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge was
well worthwhile and helped put my disappointment from the Bicycle
Challenge into proper perspective. Serious bicycle riding has little to
do with kits and carbon fiber and centuries. It’s about caring about
yourself and your community and enjoying the ability to get around on
two wheels powered by your own effort.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Riding a bike is not necessarily about how fast or how far. Sometimes
it’s about where you end up and during the recent Coffeeneuring
Challenge (4th Annual) I ended up at Limerock
Road Neighborhood Grill (LRNG), a place I’d visited in a
previous incarnation. The coffee was good and the atmosphere was
inviting; I knew I had to return and learn whether the food was equally
pleasant.

I planned my visit to fit within LRNG’s Happy Hour window which is
daily from 3 to 6 pm and for a day when sitting outside would be
comfortable. So, a few days after my previous chilly morning
visit I returned when it was upper 70s and sitting outside was not only
possible but pretty much required.
Because my tastes are simple I ordered some things I could understand;
potato skins and beer. Because it was Happy Hour I sampled two on-tap
brews; Brooklyn Lager and later, Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale. The potato
skins were a very satisfactory finger food with more than adequate
potato and the skins were tender rather than crisp, tough or chewy.
There was neither too much, nor too little cheese and enough bits of
bacon to add texture.

An hour spent with a couple of beers, a quartet of potato skins,
attentive but not overbearing service and delightful weather was about
as much as anyone could ask for from any eatery and LRNG delivered.
Park your car at Kanapaha Park and ride the 2.5 miles to Haile Village and the Archer Braid Trail extension,
indulge at LRNG then work some of it off on the return trip.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

After years of debate, misinformation and misbehavior the extension of
Archer Braid Trail (ABT) became a reality and making Haile Plantation’s
Village easily accessible from Kanapaha Park.

ABT
and Haile Blvd.

The Village is an integral and extremely under used part of New
Urbanist Haile Plantation.. On Saturday I combined the extension’s
Grand Opening Celebration, my fifth stop in the 4th Annual
Coffeeneuring Challenge and my regular visit to the weekly
Farmers’
Market.

Fewer riders appeared at this event than at the Grand
Opening of the first six miles in June ‘13 becasue of the unseasonable
weather, but those who did were dressed for the sunny, chilly, windy
November morning. Adding to the small gathering, though, were curious
patrons of the Farmers’ Market drawn by the music of Weeds of Eden.

Weeds
or Eden
“We play original bio-regional music, folk and rock standards, Celtic
tunes, and filthy pirate songs.”See facebook site

It turned into a friendly, busy get together. Of special note, though,
is the courtesy of Gordy and his Limerock
Road Neighborhood Grill staff who provided an assortment of
finger-edibles, bottled water and congeniality.

Limerock
Road Neighborhood Grill

Months ago I wrote a brief review of eateries in
Haile’s Village, but focused on bike security. Four U-racks easily
visible from inside make security a nonissue, though the cobbles into
which the racks are secured make footing a mite awkward.

Bike
security at Limerock
Road Neighborhood Grill

When the opening event was announced I knew I’d make Limerock one of my
stops on the Coffeeneuring Challenge for two additional reasons; I’d be
in the Village for the regular Saturday Farmers' Market
and Limerock serves Flagship
Coffee (formerly known as Tree City). If the weather had been
less blustery I would have settled outside to observe the goings-on, but
had I done that I’d’ve missed the energetic and friendly staff and the
comfortable Neighborhood Grill environment.

Flagship
Coffee at Limerock Road

I’d visited the establishment in its previous iteration, but had no
knowledge of the current state of is comestibles. As a place to hangout
and enjoy some conversation it’d be hard to beat; comfortable seats at
the bar, large windows with a pleasant view of Haile’s Square and a
place to enjoy the Gators on a couple of large screen TVs (and Happy
Hour when the Gators are on the road). Unlike many “sports bars”
Limerock maintains its pub style without forgetting how to offer a
family friendly, part-of-the-neighborhood enviornment.

Bright
and Welcoming Limerock Road

The coffee was good. The service and accessibility of the serving staff
was exceptional. Now it’s past time for me to see what they can do with
their food. For the rest of you; leave your car at Kanapaha Park,
follow the Trail, visit the Farmers' Market and go see Gordy.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

As a response to the completion of Archer Braid Trail’s extension
through Haile Plantation one of the regular vendors at the Saturday
morning Farmers' Market has created a
product with bicycle riders (Gainesville Cycling Club members in
particular) in mind and is encouraging them to visit the Village.

I have never been much of a fan of mustard, except for when I was a kid
and went to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore where all hot dogs came with
bright yellow mustard. As my tastes have become moderately more
sophisticated I have appreciated the more robust flavors of what might
be called "real mustard". I may never become a dipper and use a jar of
mustard like hummus or guacamole, but I have learned that
mustard . . . some mustards . . . deserve a place in my kitchen.

Nana
Pat’s Goodies is one of the vendors at the Market who
has embraced the idea that people on bikes is good for the
Farmers’ Market.

Nana Pat makes
both sweet and savory things, but it is her mustard that matters here.
Her newest addition to the line of savories is Fat Tire Special, which
uses, can you guess, New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale as its base.
That, alone, would be reason enough to visit Haile Village on Saturday
or Union Street on Wednesday, BUT . . . are you ready? . . . GCC
members get a discount. A check of Nana Pat’s website blog says
it all; she doesn’t commonly offer deals. What’s the deal? Fifty
cents off the usual $7 large jar or two small jars (usually $4 each)
for the price of a large one, should you want to share the joy. The
blog posting also says that this is a limited time product, but I bet
demand would win out.

Anyone
wanting a seriously good
taste treat and wanting to buy locally should try Nana Pat’s stuff. For
those of you who like to favor things on facebook and encourage
others to treat themselves to something worthwhile, you can do it
there, too.

Even
if none of the regular merchants in The Village see the marketing value
of encouraging the use of ABT, at least one Saturday morning
vendor does.

Friday, September 19, 2014

The National Bike
Challenge and Falling Over
This year’s National Bike Challenge gave me the same kick in the saddle
as last year’s. My goal was an average of twenty miles a day and I was
doing pretty well until I fell over kinda like Arte Johnson and his
tricycle on “Laugh-In”; a 3 mph moment of carelessness. Landed on my
hip, the same one that’d been repaired with titanium rods to hold the
ball on the neck of my femur. Wasn’t nearly as much pain as there was
blood from elbow, knee and finger, so I finished the remaining 16
miles. Later there was plenty of pain and I didn’t (probably couldn’t)
ride the next day or Saturday, managed a cautious few miles thereafter,
returning to the scene of the fall a week later.

During the Challenge, Archer Braid Trail through Haile Plantation
progressed from construction site to completion. When I was able to
resume riding it was very nice to cruise cautiously on the very smooth
asphalt and over the numerous transition points. I missed my Saturday
morning visit to the Farmers’ Market, but will enjoy it even more now,
despite the missing piece of asphalt at Kimball Wiles Elementary School.

What About After the
National Bike Challenge
So, how will I fill the hole left by no longer being able to compete
for a year’s supply of toilet paper (yes, one of the monthly prizes)?
Along comes Mary G. and her blog; chasing
mailboxes. Commencing on October 4 is the Fourth
Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge; 7 Cups (of coffee) in 7 Weeks
(Saturdays and Sundays only). Say what?

The basics are this; visit one place where you drink coffee, document
it, do that each of the seven weekends and submit your completed
“challenge” at the end. Prizes? Yeah, some, I guess.

Difficult?
Not really? Potentially a good way to discover your own back yard, so
to speak.

I’ve
already planned my first several weekends; Tree City at the Haile
Village Farmers’ Market, Limerock Road and patticakes (not open
Sundays) also in Haile Village, Barnie’s on lower Tower Road and
undoubtedly the Starbucks at Butler.

Look
at chasing mailboxes and enjoy Mary’s whimsical perspective, except
when she’s serious. Maybe Gainesville and GCC will turn in another
stellar performance.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

1.Is ABT through Haile Plantation finished?Paving has been completed and all transitions within Haile have been excavated and concrete has been poured. All that remains is installation of bricks to form the necessary detectable warnings. Transitions along Tower Road have been surveyed.

2. When will the section of sidewalk be removed and asphalt applied in front of Kimbell Wiles Elementary School?The sidewalk will not be replaced.

3. Why not?The county school system would not permit it.

4. So, that's it?Yep.

The newly paved trail adds about 2.8 miles (less the .2 miles of sidewalk in front of Kimball Wiles) to the already well used 6.2 miles of Archer Braid Trail. It makes Haile Village readily accessible by bike or on foot from Kanapaha Park (about 3 miles) and provides a relatively easy 18 mile trip from the Park to Archer and back.

Hipp Construction did a fine job with ABT through Haile. By week's end all construction should be completed and clean-up and final touches well underway. If you haven't ridden or walked the new section of ABT you ought to.

At both shops I wanted to learn how they might handle the questions of
an older person who wants to begin or return to riding a bicycle. At
each of the previous shops after some discussion I felt confident that
such a person would be asked the important questions that would help
both the shop and the prospective customer to decide which “next step”
to take. The questions:

1. How well do you ride?
2. What do you want to accomplish?
3. What kind of riding do you think you
want to do?
4. What’s your budget?

Of
all the shops
I visited Pleasant Cyclery was the least responsive. There is no longer
a coffee shop here, which is disappointing, but it probably didn’t make
good economic sense. The gentleman I spoke with was the only employee
present and he was engrossed in repair work. He was courteous when I
how he’d respond to an elderly person wanting to return to riding a
bike after many years, but he was less interested in talking about the
process he might use.

Two variables may have affected this
encounter; I was not feeling jocular and he was younger than people I’d
spoken with at other shops. Among the bikes on display was a step
though model, but I had to ask about it. Pleasant Cyclery carries a
wide variety of bikes and surely among the lines are bikes that would
be suitable. I’d be unlikely to suggest it as a first stop for a
Senior’s return to cycling bike.http://www.pleasantcyclery.com/

After
I sent a first draft of my observations about Pleasant Cyclery the
co-owner offered that I had not gotten a true impression of the shop
because he was on vacation thus putting greater responsibility on his
partner. He invited me to return. I have not, but eventually will. I
emailed an offer for him to address my four questions, but did not
receive a reply. The shop also has a new internet address which is
listed above.

The
Super Cool Bike Shop has my least favorite name, but that’s
probably related to my basic lack of coolness in bicycle circles. The
young man I spoke to at Super Cool asked all the right questions and
that was . . . well . . . cool. His suggestions for possible new bikes
were reasonable. I was given some options they were all at the upper
end of my proposed “about $500” budget. Used bikes were not an option
but the possibility was discussed of upgrading if a rider decided he or
she wanted to become more involved in riding and wanted another model
sold there. Super Cool was a congenial place and maybe I was
friendlier, too.http://supercoolbikeshop.com/

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The end is nigh; paving of the portions of ABT along SW 41st Place
(Kanapaha Park) and Tower Road will begin next week along with the
remaining section at Haile’s Equestrian facility. Predicted time for
completion of the entire project is three weeks. This will include
excavation and paving of the short section at Kimball Wiles Elementary
School where ABT crosses Tower Road. Transition points at all
intersections are marked and final work on drainage and landscaping has
begun.

Is a Grand Opening being planned for this section of ABT? Linking ABT
through Haile with activities in Haile Village seems obvious
irrespective of the resistance by many Haile residents. Rather than
being an unwanted eyesore, Hipp Construction has done a fine job of
mating ABT to Haile Boulevard as it enters the Plantation and 91st
Streets more aggressive and direct approach.

Getting to the Saturday Farmers’ Market from Kanapaha Park will be a
pleasant ride and one that can be made safely by families. Several
vendors at the Market who make delectable consumables are working on
bicycle related items and might be encouraged to offer discounts or
deals to people arriving by bike!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Archer Braid Trail (ABT) through Haile Plantation continues its steady,
if sometimes too slow, progress. Paving equipment has been moved to the
section of unpaved trail passing Haile’s Equestrian Center suggesting
that there’ll soon be asphalt from Archer Road at 91st to Haile Blvd at
Tower.

The next significant and very obvious work is happening on Tower Road
where the sidewalk on the eastern side of Tower has been removed and
will be replaced as part of ABT. Significant work is being done to the
crossing and transitions at the Kimball Wiles Elementary School
intersection. Concurrently, paving of the new multiuse path is nearing
completion from Archer Road to Kanapaha Middle School. It will
eventually extend to join ABT at Kimball Wiles.

ABT
at Tower Road

Tower Road
at Kimball Wiles Elementary School

Haile
Blvd at Tower Rd.

The
section
of Trail paralleling Haile Blvd is already being used by riders,
walkers, strollers, and even skaters. I know I’m biased, but I think
the Trail enhances the ride along Haile Blvd toward the Village. Making
Haile Village more accessible can’t be a bad thing, especially on
Saturday mornings for the Farmers’ Market.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Paving of the 91st Street section of Archer Braid Trail through Haile
Plantation began today and by 1700 (5:00 pm) was nearing completion.
Final preparation has also been done on most of the Trail paralleling
Haile Blvd (SW 45th Blvd) and preliminary grading completed along the
section passing by Haile Equestrian Center.

Looking north on SW 91st Blvd from Archer Road.

Construction at intersection transition points along the entire route
and at the intersection at SW 91st Street and Haile Blvd. is underway.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Paving
equipment is ready and sod has been
placed along SW 91st Street. Curbing has been removed at each of the
intersections along SW 46th Blvd. except for the intersection at SW
81st Terrace west of Haile Equestrian Center. The section from
SW 81st Terrace to Tower Road will be paved when grading over
recently installed drainage is completed.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Last week Bob's Barricades appeared along SW 41st
Place announcing the next big step toward completion of Archer
Braid Trail.

Excavation for the section of ABT that will run from Tower Road to
GRU's Water Reclamation Facility has begun.

When the entire project is completed Kanapaha Park will be a natural
starting point for family rides to Haile Village.

ABT has become an integral part of Gainesville's bicycling community.
The wooded 1.5 miles beginning at the trail head in Archer has been
embraced by its citizens and it is common to see families strolling,
skating and riding along that section.

The real news, though, is that paving may begin next week and will
encompass all of SW 91st Street to SW 46th Blvd. and much of SW 46th
Blvd. as far as the short section passing in front of Haile's
Equestrian Center. The final piece of the Trail has not yet been
started; parallel to Tower Road from SW 46th Blvd. to SW 41st Place.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

I intended to complete this discussion about bike shops a week ago, but
Fútbol interfered. This is the second World Cup to which I have given
more than casual attention and it’s returned a favor with numerous
outstanding matches and remarkable moments.

Championship athletic competition on a high level is always appealing.
I can recall being captivated by Arnie hitching up his trousers as he
took on Augusta National when I had no prior interest in golf. I try to
not miss at least some part of The Masters. In July, of course, Tour de
France will provide an even more compelling distraction so I need to
finish the first half of the bike shop discussion now!

In the May edition of “Senior Times” I wrote about becoming a bike
rider whether as someone resuming a long-ago activity or as something
new for recreational and fitness reasons. I suggested that one of the
best ways to acquire a suitable bike for the commencement of a
two-wheeled journey is to visit a bike shops and talk to people who can
assist in sorting through the wide variety of bikes now available; back
in the 50s and 60s the selection was very limited in small-town America.

At my local Publix I was asked by someone who recognized me from the
picture included among the Contributors whether there was a preferred
bike shop in town, specifically, what was my FNBS (Friendly
Neighborhood Bike Shop)? Choosing a shop to take care of your ride is
highly subjective and that’s what I related to the man who asked the
question.

The only way to find the right shop with the right bike, whether as
newbie or redux, is to talk to the people inside their doors. As a
prospective bicycle rider you should have answers to some relevant
questions before setting out on a bike quest.

1. How well do you ride?
2. What do you want to accomplish?
3. What kind of riding do you think you
want to do?
4. What’s your budget?

There’s one other thing you need to ask of yourself: How likely are you
to stick with riding a bike if it turns out to be more difficult that
you thought? If you have a personal history of plunging into something
(buying all the equipment, taking all the classes, finding all the
places) only to give it up and be left with regret and chose, pants,
brushes and other useless but painful reminders of one more zealous
obsession gone bad.

Riding a bike, even casually, requires regular physical effort. If you
don’t try to develop fitness and skill the bike will be relegated to
the back porch, yard or craigslist.

I wondered how bike shops (other than my FNBS) would deal with a Senior
Citizen who wants to begin riding. At each of the first five shops I
have visited, Bike Works, Gator Cycle, Schwinn Shop, Swift Cycle and
Chain Reaction (There are four yet to be visited) the person or people
to whom I spoke wanted to know the same basic information related the
questions posed above. At none of the shops will you find someone
pushing you toward a bike unsuited to your wants and needs. Instead,
they may try to convince you that your wants exceed your needs (and
abilities), but their goals were all about getting a good match.

Each shop sells one or more brands of bikes and every brand has a wide
range of style options. For many older, wanna-be bike riders an
upright, step-through frame bike is often the best first choice. Bikes
that might have been called “girls’ bikes” in our long ago past are
more properly called “open frame” and are not gender specific. They are
wholly suitable for a new, older rider where swinging an aging leg over
the back of a bike might exceed current physical ability.

Only Bike Works did not have such as a step through model available
on-site, though their primary brand, Giant, does make “Lifestyle/City”
models in both step-through, open and traditional frames. Additionally,
they also carry a line of Beach Cruisers from Phat Cycle and such bikes
a popular with us old folk.

Tony of Bike Works
responded to an email I sent asking if I had been accurate in my brief
assessment of Bike Works. He said that not only have they added some
bikes of the sort I had hoped to see, but that Giant had dropped the
price of 30 of their most popular models by 20 to 30 percent.
Additionally, they have developed several videos relevant to ordinary
care and maintenance which could be useful to both new and regular
riders. These are available on their website.

Gator Cycle may be the most familiar name in G’ville and its leading
brand, Trek, is one of the most well-known brands. When it comes to
diverse styles, Trek makes just about everything, including entry level
upright, city-type bikes, and Gator probably has some in stock. Another
in-stock option that Gator offers is recumbent bikes which are suitable
for someone with physical limitations. They’re beyond the
scope of this brief treatment, but worth investigating.

The Schwinn Shop’s bike lines include suitable “elder bikes.” Maybe
more so than Trek, Schwinn is an iconic name. It is not the Schwinn of
old, but neither are the Schwinns sold in bike shops the same as those
sold in big box department stores.

A moment here about big
box bike, those from Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart; they may not cost
much, but they come with none of the assurance you get from a local
bike shop if something fails, breaks or needs adjusting. Another moment
. . . this time about craigslist; stolen bikes often find their way to
craigslist and like big box bikes, repairs may require using a local
bike shop. You also have even less recourse regarding failure, breakage
and adjustments. Any bike acquired from other than a bike shop should
be taken to a shop for a thorough examination. Failing brakes really
suck.

Swift, the new shop in town, despite its initial boutique appearance is
as serious as other shops and has a diverse selection of styles
in-stock. Breezer, one of their main brands, offers a line of “Town”
bikes from which it’d be easy to find a suitable ride.

The last shop in this group is Chain Reaction. Being across University
Avenue from UF adds a significant positive to it a good place to look
for your first venture into riding; used bikes. Like all the rest,
Chain Reaction has a line of bikes (Jamis) from which you can find a
suitable ride, but if money is an object a used bike might be a best
option. Why Chain Reaction? Student turnover. Kids come and kids go and
lots of their bikes go to Chain Reaction. The people there will let you
know that their used bikes carry a year’s worth of service, as do their
consignment bikes. Think of it like craigslist without a downside.
Yeah, the price might be more, but the bike will likely be of higher
quality and will last a lot longer. There’s also the practical value of
being able to trade them a bike they know for a new one.

I hadn’t bothered to mention that each of the listed bike shops has at
least one fulltime mechanic, but after you acquire a bike having a
mechanic you trust becomes very important; chains wear out, wheels need
to be made true and brakes need to be adjusted. Being able to get your
bike serviced timely and competently matters and makes it the “customer
service after the sale” that is most important.

You probably cannot find a bad bike shop in G’ville because there’s
abundant competition. It’s like this; if you visit a bike shop looking
for information and the people with whom you interact don’t make you
feel comfortable, go somewhere else. When you see someone with a bike,
talk to him or her about bikes and shops. Bike riders tend to be pretty
passionate about riding and like to share information. The more people
you talk to the more you will know. More people on two-wheels is a good
thing.